Microchip's $394 million purchase of Supertex will have modest impact in Gresham

Arizona-based Microchip Technology announced this morning
that it will pay $394 million to buy a Silicon Valley company called Supertex.

Microchip, which operates a factory in Gresham, said the
deal will have a "slight positive impact" in Oregon.

"The acquisition of Supertex should have a slight positive
impact on our operations in Gresham," Microchip chief executive Steve Sanghi wrote
in an e-mail this afternoon. "We will be bringing up Supertex' process
technologies in our Tempe, Arizona Fab (Fab 2).
As we expand the market for Supertex' products and Fab 2 helps to
process the increased production, some of Fab 2's production will be
transferred to (the) Gresham Fab."

Microchip will pay $33 a share, in cash, for Supertex. The acquisition
adds complementary technology in analog and mixed signal chips serving the
medical, industrial and lighting industries, according to Microchip.